5-12-05 (or rather 5-13-05); sometime after the stroke of midnight

     Cute movie.  Most of the really funny parts were put into the trailer, so it wasn't a hilarious movie, but then again, I don't think it was necessarily meant to be a hilarious movie.  It was still pretty funny, though.  I liked the Italian kids.  Will Ferrell is good.  Mike Ditka is better.  I was impressed by the little kids playing soccer.  I think I'm always impressed by those things that I can't do, and I'm definitely NOT coordinated enough to play soccer, so good job there, kiddos.  Cute family movie. 

     I  really liked this movie.  From the beginning, I was never really sure where it was going, or what the real point was, and you're never really sure exactly who the "bad guy" is, right up until the very end.  One thing I really liked was that it was anti-war, pro-human rights without being overly political or didactic.  Genocide was an important story line, but it wasn't overbearing the way it was dealt with.  Good acting all around, too, by Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and all the other peoples.  I liked Sean Penn's sarcastic partner-lady.  She cracked me up.  Anyway, go see it.  It was goooood.

 

House of Wax

     First of all, I'm not a big fan of slasher-type movies.  Second of all, I'm not a big fan of Paris Hilton.  Third of all, I think wax is highly overrated.  There were some funny parts, but on the whole, this was your average weirdo movie about a couple of psychotic brothers who lose it and start tricking people into their fake town so that they can kill them in creative ways.  Like covering them in burning hot wax and turning them into a wax statue while they are still alive.  Or cutting their Achilles tendon and then chasing them around.  I could spoil more of the movie for you, but I don't even recommend you see it, so do what you will with that information.  Kelsey and I both noted the symbolism when the wax figures of the Siamese baby boys are separated, and then the two killers are forever sealed together in melted wax at the end.  It was that cheesy.

 

Fever Pitch

     This was a pretty cute movie.  I think I expected absolutely nothing of it, and therefore, it was really good to me.  I was especially impressed with Jimmy Fallon, since I was convinced that he gave up a perfectly good TV career on SNL for nothing after seeing Taxi.  But this movie was definitely better.  I would recommend this to most people.  It had romance, it had comedy, it even had sports.

     This movie was very intense.  I liked it a lot, though.  It had just the right amount of intensity without being over the top.  And not only was Bruce Willis in it, but his real daughter (I don't remember which one -- either Rumer or Scout) played his daughter in the movie.  Ha!  Anyway, it was very interesting, both visually and psychologically.  I would recommend it.  But be warned.  A lot of people die and such, cuz that is just the nature of the film.  But good flick, nonetheless.

Robots

     This was okay.  I think kids would really like it.  That's just a personal opinion, but still.  I went to see this with Jesse and Ben, and we were blown away by the number of adults laughing at the juvenile humor that this movie contains.  I think they tried to hard to make it funny and clever and whatnot, and in the end, my favorite part was the little invention that the main robot made.

 

3-5-05, 11:45 p.m.-ish

Be Cool

     I never saw Get Shorty, and this is the sequel to that movie, so I didn't get most of the clever, clever jokes, I'm betting.  However, what I know is that they tried a little too hard to be funny, and they tried a little to hard to wink at the audience in that "hey, sequels suck, but this one doesn't" way.  Anyway, unless you really like John Travolta or Uma Thurman, don't go.  I mean, the Russians only say "Da", "Nyet", and "Do svidanya".  Those Russians suck.

 

3-3-05, 9:45 p.m.-ish

The Pacifier

     I liked this movie.  I'm such a sucker for family movies.  Okie dokie.  I really liked this movie, mostly because it's full of stupid, goofy movie.  And if you have no heart, you probably won't like this movie.  But for heaven's sakes!  It's got Vin Diesel in a heartwarming family role where he protects some kid from *spoiler alert* the neighbors!!!

Are We There Yet?

     I guess I figured this movie would be funnier, so I was a little disappointed.  Yeah, I laughed a couple of times during the movie, but on the whole, it was predictable, and I just really felt sorry for the guy's SUV at the end of the movie.  Except for the projectile vomit part.  Projectile vomit is ALWAYS funny.  Anyway, it's a good movie for kids; they will find it hilarious.

 

2-12-05, 6:20 p.m.

Hitch

     I wasn't really all that excited about this movie, mostly because I had no idea what it would be about, and when I found out what it was about, I was somewhat less than impressed.  Upon watching it however, I was proved wrong.  I really liked this movie.  It was funny, and there are some awesome ideas for dancing at the end!!!  Any new moves are welcome!  Will Smith does a great job, and so does that guy from King of Queens.  He taught me the Q-Tip dance.  Can I ever repay him?  I say no.  Okay.  Go see it.  You'll like it.

 

2-11-05, 9:30 p.m.

Hide and Seek

     Dakota Fanning is a talented young lady, but still annoying.  Robert De Niro is a talented actor, but his mole is distracting.  This weirdo movie was entirely too predictable for me to actually enjoy it.  Five minutes into the movie, I figured either the little girl was nutty bars or the dad was.  Turns out that they both are.  That doesn't make the movie any more digestable.  It's also a great example of how Marco Polo ISN'T played.  Those actors.  They think that cuz they're famous, they don't have to play by the rules.  Whatever. 

Coach Carter

     This movie was okay.  I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it.  I guess from a teaching perspective, it was interesting.  It made me think about what lengths I would go to in order to make sure my students succeed.  Other than that, it was kinda funny to laugh at.  Oh yeah.  And I liked how all the other cheerleaders got regular cheerleader outfits, but the Oilers' cheerleaders got white go-go boots and hot pants the color of a 70s throw rug.  They looked kinda like the Fantanas from the Fanta preview.  Good stuff.  Anyway, I think the plot can be summed up like this:  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (new coach).  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (son wants to join team).  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (unruly players).  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (game cancelled).  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (shooting).  Basketball game.  Dramatic incident (they lose the game, but feel like winners inside).  Yeah, that's about it.

Elektra

     Mmmm...Maybe this movie would be better if I was familiar with the comic book or whatever it's based on.  However, since I'm not, it's only value was for laughing at.  Oh yeah, and I haven't seen Daredevil, which I'm actually told I'm proabably a better person for that.  Anyway, it was okay.  Good to laugh at, I suppose.  The characters had great names.  The guy with the tattoos that came to life was named "Tattoo", the lady that killed people by getting them all sick with death and whatnot was named "Typhoid".  I guess then you have no excuse to not remember their names.  Anyway, it's mostly Jennifer Garner getting all mad and beating people up  and killing 'em until she meets a guy and his daughter, and decides that instead of killing them, she'll help them, which turns out to be a good idea.  The girl ends up being important, and they gang up on the bad guys in the end (Girl Power...Whooo?).  Anyway, from that Tattoo guy, I realized that MY tattoo isn't pulling its weight around here, and from the rest of the movie, I realized that I don't use weird looking knives to my advantage enough.  Oh yeah, and no matter who you are, everyone looks funny in red leather.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

     Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder, and a whole lot...BETTER!  Yup.  I just had to put this is here to let you know that this is one of those rare movies that is better upon the second viewing.

Flight of the Phoenix

     I really liked this movie.  It kept my interest, which is remarkably hard to do.  I thought it was a pretty intense movie.  You never really know if someone is going to die.  You're also pretty sure that they're going to get that plane put back together, but whether it will actually fly, or if they'll get found, or if they'll all just become sandly little mummies is a mystery.  Kinda.  Anyway, I really liked it.  Dennis Quaid is cool, and this movie gets bonus points for having Eowyn from Lord of the Rings in it.  Check it out.  If you like it, let me know.  If you don't, well, that's your problem, isn't it?

 

12-25-04, 6:20 p.m.

Phantom of the Opera

     This was a very pretty movie.  Lots of gold stuff inside the opera house, and the cinematography was really good.  I also liked how they used aged looking film to convey the opera house in 1919, whereas the film looked normal (like it was really happening) for the older timeline.  My only problem with the movie is that it isn't nearly as cool as seeing the show live.  I saw it from the very back row of the Orpheum Theater here in Omaha, and I still loved it.  Anyway, it's really cool to see how they do the special effects live, rather than with movie tricks.  Also, the actors' voices in the movie don't compare to people who sing for a living.  Don't get me wrong -- they did a great job.  I don't really remember hearing the people live, but I know I have the soundtrack with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, and that was gorgeous.  So, long story short....Go see it -- it's a good movie, but know that it's not as good as the original.  Oh yeah, and I still wish the Phantom would have "won".  He's just misunderstood.

 

12-21-04, 11:30 p.m.

Meet the Fockers

    Are sequels ever as good as the originals?  Okay, I DID like Spiderman 2 better than the first one, and I bet there are other ones out there, but it seems like sequels just suck.  Meet the Fockers is the sequel to Meet the Parents.  It's funny, I guess.  It just seemed like they recycled a lot of the same jokes over again, and then the new ones weren't very funny.  Some of them were downright creepy.  Anyway, if you liked Meet the Parents, go see Meet the Fockers.  You'll probably be disappointed, but at least you can't blame me, cuz I warned ya!!!

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

     Good movie.  Really.  I swear.  Very clever.  My favorite character is Sunny.  I can't really say much else, except that there are, indeed, a series of unfortunate events that occur in the movie.  Hmmm....Not much else I can say.  Oh...Go see it, cuz it really was good.  Really.

     Mne ohen; nravilas; `tot fil;m.  Byla ohen; milyj I krasivyj fil;m o rodstvax.  Rodstva me-du mamej i dohej, me-du papom i dohej, me-du mu-om i -enoj, i me-du `tom

mu-om i meksikanskoj devicej, kotoru[ on dumaet hto on l[bit.  U `toj devicy doh; kotoraq govorit po#anglijski, no ona sama tol;ko govorit po#ispanski.  Znahit tak, ona ohen; xohet govorit po#anglijski, potomu hto ona xotela govorit; sama, I

-it; samostoqtel;nu[ -izn[.  U `togo fil;ma est; Adam Sandler, Tia Leoni, i Paz Vega.  Kak Q skazala, byl ohen;, ohen;, xorowij, milyj, smewnoj, i grustnyj fil;m.  Q posovetu[ vam smotret; `tot fil;m skoro@

Finding Neverland

     I really liked this movie.  It seemed like it was pretty short, which is always good for those of us with ever-shifting attention spans, but it also told a sweet story.  It's based on real events concerning how author J.M. Barrie came up with the story for "Peter Pan".  It's a great story for those of us with Peter Pan Syndrome, who will never grow up (I fully intend to be 80 with great-grandkids and still be running around like I'm 7 -- forget about arthritis), and just how beneficial having a child-like approach to life can be.  Therefore, everyone who has ever made fun of me for acting like a kid should see this movie, have a heart warming experience, and let me play with my Legos as long as I want.

 

11-22-04, 10:30 p.m.

Alexander

      This was the suckiest suck that ever did suck.  I would leave it at that, but I just can't convey to you how bad this movie actually was.  All I know is that just when I thought I was going to black out from a mix of boredom, confusion, and plain ol' exhaustion, the person screening it (my friend Kelsey works at the theater) announced there were 3 reels left.  Now I don't know how much that is, but at that point I knew that anything over 1/4 of a reel was too much.  I wanted to stay, though, just to say I made it through to the end.  You never know.  The movie might suck, and then have the best ending ever...Or not.

 

11-22-04, 4:55 p.m.

The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie

     I thought this movie was okay, as far as cartoons are concerned.  Besides being convinced that Patrick Star is my long-lost brother, I thought it was a lot like a really long episode of SpongeBob.  Which brings me to another point.  The whole reason that SpongeBob is appealing to the ADHD afflicted such as myself is that it only lasts half an hour.  So, to sum it all up, good movie, but after a while, it gets long.

 

11-21-04, 7:45 p.m.

National Treasure

     I'll be honest.  I didn't think I was going to like this movie when I first saw the preview.  It looked...Cheesy.  Maybe the fact that I expected it to completely suck made it better for me.  Anyway, as it turns out, it was a very intelligent, funny, and interesting movie.  I liked it a lot.  There's not much more I can say except that every time Nicholas Cage was on screen, I half expected him to pull a Con Air line and say, "Put the bunny down."  There are probably 10 other, better movies that I should think of when I think of Nicholas Cage, but of course, I haven't seen those.  Huh.  Oh well.  Otherwise, it was really cool when he used the bullet-proof glass on the Declaration of Indepence to shield himself from gunshots.  Also, this movie has Boromir from Lord of the Rings in it....Kelsey and I figured he would be greedy and betray the others at the beginning of the movie, because well, that's Boromir's nature, I guess....

 

11-21-04, 5:30 p.m.

The Polar Express

     I actually really liked this movie.  It was a very sweet, Christmas-y movie about having spirit and faith.  It reminds me why I want to be 7 forever.  Anyway, I thought it was actually better than the book by Chris Van Allsburg that it's based on.  My fellow elementary teachers around the world are going to stone me now for heresy because I said a movie was better than the book, so I'd better go into hiding now....